Tuesday, October 22, 2013

10-23-13 Prayers of John Knox

A Month in Prayer
Praying the Prayers of the Reformers          October 23

John Knox (1505-1572) Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation
who is considered the founder of Presbyterianism.
John Knox with Mary Queen of Scots by Epps
WHAT PRAYER IS. Who will pray must know and understand that prayer is an earnest and familiar talking with God, to whom we declare our miseries, whose support and help we implore and desire in our adversities, and whom we laud and praise for our benefits received.  So that prayer contains the exposition of our dolours [sorrows], the desire of God's defense,
and the praising of his magnificent name, as the psalms of David clearly do teach.

Mary, Queen of Scots, is reputed to have said:“I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe.”

John Knox (1505-1572)

HONOUR and praise be given to thee, O LORD God Almighty, most dear Father of heaven, for all thy mercies and loving-kindness showed unto us, in that it hath pleased thy gracious goodness freely and of thine own accord to elect and choose us to salvation before the beginning of the world.

And even like continual thanks be given to thee for creating us after thine own image; for redeeming us with the precious blood of thy dear Son, when we were utterly lost; for sanctifying us with thine Holy Spirit in the revelation and knowledge of thine holy word; for helping and succouring us in all our needs and necessities; for saving us from all dangers of body and soul; for comforting us so fatherly in all our tribulations and persecutions; for sparing us so long, and giving us so large a time of repentance.

These benefits, O most merciful Father, like as we acknowledge to have received of thine only goodness, even so we beseech thee, for thy dear Son JESUS CHRIST’s sake, to grant us always thine Holy Spirit, whereby we may continually grow in thankfulness towards thee, and be led into all truth, and comforted in all our adversities.

O LORD, strengthen our faith; kindle it more in ferventness and love towards thee, and our neighbors, for thy sake. Suffer us not, most dear Father, to receive thy word any more in vain; but grant us always the assistance of thy grace and Holy Spirit, that in heart, word, and deed, we may sanctify and do worship to thy name. 
 Help to amplify and increase thy kingdom; that whatsoever thou sendest, we may be heartily well content with thy good pleasure and will. Let us not lack the thing — O Father! — without the which we cannot serve thee; but bless thou so all the works of our hands, that we may have sufficient, and not be chargeable, but rather helpful unto others.

Be merciful, O LORD, to our offences; and seeing our debt is great, which thou hast forgiven us in JESUS CHRIST, make us to love thee and our neighbours so much the more. Be thou our Father, our Captain and Defender in all temptations; hold thou us by thy merciful hand; that we may be delivered from all hardships, and end our lives in the sanctifying and honouring of thine holy name, through JESUS CHRIST our Lord and only Saviour. Amen.

Let thy mighty hand and outstretched arm, O LORD, be still our defence;
thy mercy and loving-kindness in JESUS CHRIST, thy dear Son, our salvation;
thy true and holy word our instruction;
thy grace and Holy Spirit our comfort and consolation,
unto the end and in the end. Amen.

O LORD, increase our faith. Amen.

John Knox (1505-1572)

The great bishop of our souls, Jesus our Lord,
so strengthen and assist your troubled hearts
with the mighty comfort of our Holy Spirit,
that neither earthly tyrants,
nor worldly torments,
may have power to drive you
from the hope and expectation of that kingdom,
which for the elect was prepared from the beginning,
by our heavenly Father,
to whom be all praise and honor,
now and ever.

John Knox (1505-1572)

We present ourselves at this His table (which He has left to be used in remembrance of His death until His coming again), to declare and witness before the world that by Him alone we have received liberty and life; that by Him alone dost Thou acknowledge us Thy children and heirs; that by Him alone we have entrance unto the throne of Thy grace; that by Him alone we are possessed in our spiritual kingdom to eat and drink at His table; with Whom we have our conversation presently in heaven, and by Whom our bodies shall be raised up again from the dust, and shall be placed with Him in that endless joy, which Thou, O Father of mercy, hast prepared for Thine elect, before the foundation of the world was laid. And these most inestimable blessings we acknowledge and confess to have received of Thy free mercy and grace, by Thy only beloved Son, Jesus Christ, for the which, therefore we, Thy congregation, moved by the Holy Spirit, render Thee all thanks, glory, and praise for ever and ever.
Amen and Amen



October 23 – John Knox (1505-1572)

Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation who is considered the founder of Presbyterianism.  Little is known of Knox’s conversion, but he was close to reformer, George Wishart, even serving as his bodyguard. After Wishart was executed for his faith, Knox sought safety with the Protestants who had killed the cardinal who condemned Wishart.  He was appointed their chaplain and after struggle and tears accepted.  Soon however everyone in the castle was arrested. For the next nineteen months Knox served as a galley slave. He was chained, beaten and forced to row ships. Upon his release he was exiled to England where the young Protestant king Edward VI ruled. Knox served as one of his six chaplains. When Edward died, Knox fled to Geneva where he learned much from John Calvin. Returning to Scotland he was influential in the Protestants deposing Mary of Guise, the Roman Catholic regent for her daughter Mary, Queen of Scots who was then married to the young king of France. Knox helped write a new confession of faith and the ecclesiastical order for the newly created reformed church, the Kirk.  This confession is in the PCUSA Book of Order and is known as the Scots Confession.  Mary, Queen of Scots, returned to Scotland upon the death of her husband. Knox continued to serve as the religious leader of the Protestants throughout Mary's reign. Knox and Mary, a staunch Roman Catholic, debated their differences several times and Mary was often reduced to tears. While her tears disturbed Knox, her refusal to convert to Protestantism bothered him more. Mary made several serious missteps mostly involving her marriages and was forced to abdicate in favor of her son and a Protestant regent.  He continued to preach until his final days. Knox married twice. His second marriage was quite a May-December union as Knox was fifty and his bride just seventeen. However, the couple had three children in addition to Knox’s two sons from his first marriage.  Knox wanted no monument on his grave which remains unknown and unmarked probably beneath a parking deck in Edinburgh. However at his funeral it was said over his body, “Here lies one who never feared any flesh.” Mary, Queen of Scots, would have agreed.  She is reputed to have said: “I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe.”

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